One of history’s most prominent weapons has joined the Minecraft arsenal, complete with a variant for every resource tier. So, today, we explore the best spear enchantments in Minecraft 1.21 alongside the most optimal setup for a general-purpose enchanted spear.

All Compatible Enchantments

Sharpness

• Maximum Level: V
• Source: Enchanting Table & Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: Incompatible with Smite & Bane of Arthropods

Sharpness enchanted weapons deal an additional 1 damage at the first level before increasing by 0.5 damage with each level of the enchantment up to a maximum of level 5.

Smite

• Maximum Level: V
• Source: Enchanting Table & Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: Incompatible with Sharpness & Bane of Arthropods

Smite enchanted weapons deal an additional 2.5 damage to undead with every hit, increasing by 2.5 damage with each level of the enchantment to a maximum of level 5.

Bane of Arthropods

• Maximum Level: V
• Source: Enchanting Table & Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: Incompatible with Sharpness & Smite

Bane of Arthropods enchanted weapons deal an additional 2.5 damage to arthropods with every hit, increasing by 2.5 damage with each level of the enchantment to a maximum of level 5.

Fire Aspect

• Maximum Level: II
• Source: Enchanting Table & Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: None

Fire Aspect enchanted weapons apply 4 seconds of burning, increasing to 8 seconds at level 2. Additionally, mobs that drop raw meat will drop the cooked variant instead.

Lunge

• Maximum Level: III
• Source: Enchanting Table & Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: Incompatible with Mending

Lunge enchanted spears launch the wielder horizontally upon using the “Jab” attack, with increasing distance traveled for each level up to a maximum of 3. This distance is increased further if the wielder is looking in the direction they intend to travel and/or they are in the air.

Knockback

• Maximum Level: II
• Source: Enchanting Table & Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: Sword & Spear Exclusive

Knockback increases a weapon’s knockback effect by approximately 2.5 blocks for each level of the enchantment up to a maximum of level 2.

Looting

• Maximum Level: III
• Source: Enchanting Table & Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: Sword & Spear Exclusive

Weapons enchanted with looting provide bonuses to drops that vary occasionally depending on the mob slain. Generally, the number of common drops will be increased by 1 per level of the enchantment, while the chance of rare drops occurring will be increased by 1% per level. The maximum level of looting is level 3.

Unbreaking

• Maximum Level: III
• Source: Enchanting Table & Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: None

Unbreaking creates a chance that an item or tool’s durability will not decrease when used, averaging a 100% increase in lifespan per level of the enchantment. This enchantment has a maximum level of 3.

Mending

• Maximum Level: I
• Source: Enchanted Books
• Restrictions: Incompatible with Lunge

Gathered Experience Orbs are automatically consumed to repair items enchanted with Mending. Mending enchanted items must be in the main hand, off hand, or an equipped armor slot for this effect to occur.

Best Spear Enchantments

• Sharpness V
• Fire Aspect II
• Lunge III
• Knockback II
• Looting III
• Unbreaking III

Players seeking to craft the ultimate spear will want to aim for the enchantments we have listed above. This is the maximum number of enchantments the spear can hold, with Lunge III taken in favor of Mending. The reason for this is that Lunge directly increases mobility while indirectly increasing damage as well, outweighing the convenience Mending would provide. So, how does Lunge indirectly increase damage? The secondary attack of the spear, Charge, does increased damage based on your speed and your enemy’s speed. Upon jumping into the air with a Lunge III enchanted spear, both Jab and Charge can be activated at the same time to launch yourself forward into a charge attack. Combined with Knockback II and Charge’s inherent knockback, this allows players to rapidly launch themselves at an enemy, dealing damage before knocking them back into a position where the lunging attack can be repeated again. Sharpness V and Fire Aspect II only add to this already deadly combo, with Looting III simply providing more loot. The lack of Mending will, however, make durability an eventual issue, especially since Lunge III uses extra. This makes the presence of Unbreaking III all the more important for conserving that precious durability.